The Dream
by Darth Taktiker of Narnia
Summary: Remember when Wilbur was telling Lewis about his dad? How he started working on the time machine? "Five years ago, dad wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat - want's to build a time machine - SO HE START'S WORKING! We're talkin' plans, we're talkin' scale madels, we're talkin' prototypes!" What made him walk up in a cold sweat?
1. Middle of the Night

**An excellent question is why am I the first to write this story? I looked through all the fanfics for Meet The Robinsons, and there aren't many on Cornelius, much less on his progress of making a time machine! **

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Little lights twinkled in the velvet sky above Todayland. The gentle breeze was the most active thing outside, with its quiet rustling of the leaves. All in all, the entire city was peacefully asleep. Well, most of it.

In the Robinson household, most everyone there too was in a deep sleep. Wilbur was a tangled mess of limbs and blankets. Uncle Joe snored loudly, but somehow, Aunt Billie was still able to sleep. Bud and Lucille slept like the dead (though they weren't yet! Death could catch 'um!) Fritz, well, he somehow managed to sleep with Patunia still on his hand. Lazlo and Tallulah had their arms lazily flopped over each other in a sort of cuddle. Art was working late (I know, I know, who'd want a pizza at 1:00 in the morning?) Gaston cuddled his cannon plushy, in which his dear sister made him. Speaking of the sister, Franny too slept easy, with a small smile on her lips sense she was by her dearly beloved husband. Her husband, was a different story.

Cornelius twitched and shook his head constantly, grinding his teeth with his eyes squeezed shut. Soon he began turning onto his sides in a restless sleep. Franny, having been nearly squished by her love, woke up in a daze. "Cornelius...?" She mumbled as he rolled to the other side. Cornelius's breathing went from raged to erratic and panicked as he gripped the sheets with white knuckles.

"Cornelius?" Franny asked again, sitting up and grabbing his shoulder. When he didn't respond, Franny wrapped her arms around him protectively and whispered constantly, "It's okay, Cornelius. It isn't real." But he continued to shiver and shake, and the while breathing as though he were running a thousand mile race.

"Cornelius, wake up. Cornelius!" Franny started to panic. She might as well have said nothing, because he didn't hear her.

Now afraid for his sanity, Franny jumped out of bed, and in her dress pajamas, pounded down the hall in a rush for Wilbur's bedroom, accidentally waking the whole house on the way. Poking their head out of the bedrooms, there were multiple, "What's going on?"s and "Is Wilbur running around?"s, and a very angry Petunia.

Gaston just barely caught a glimpse of his sisters nightgown before it disappeared around the corner. The feeling every brother gets when their sibling is in trouble burned in his chest, and he took after her.

"Franny! Franny, what's wrong?" He called after her. They turned the corner only to see her again disappear into Wilbur's bedroom.

Franny slammed open the door, and Wilbur was sitting up straight, eyes wide open with alarm. "Mom! What are you doing?"

"Where's Carl?" She cried. Wilbur saw the fear in her eyes and immediately called to the other side of his room, "Carl; wake mode!"

The golden robot came to life, and did a showy yawn. "What is it now, Wiblur?" He whined.

Franny grabbed Carl by his skinny little arm, and dragged him to the door. "Carl, Cornelius won't wake up!" She her voice was pitchy and scratchy, and the light from the hallway reveled the tear tracks running down her face. Wilbur hated to see anybody like that, and to see his mom in such a disheveled state made his heart clench.

"'Cornelius won't wake up'?" Gaston repeated, coming in the room. He said it again, louder, and to the people down the hall, all waiting for an answer. "Cornelius won't wake up!" It became a murmur amongst the house inhabitants.

"I'm on it, Ma'am!" Carl saluted, and took off out the door, Franny on his heels, and Wilbur on hers. After that, a mob of family followed to Franny and Cornelius's room.

They hadn't even reached the door before they could hear panicked yelling from Cornelius. Wilbur senses went nuts as he raced his mom for the door.

"No. No! S-stop it! Let me... I can... It's... It.. It's not supposed to... No! Stop! Come back!"

Wilbur froze at the sight of his dad in a panicked mess. It wasn't who he knew. Cornelius Robinson was a level-headed man who attacked his problems with a calm and focused mind. The man on the bed was scared, and shaking, and it just didn't seem to fit who his dad was. Franny jumped on the bed and crawled closer to her shivering husband. She started stroking his wild hair, in an attempt to calm him, while the rest of the family stopped around Wilber.

"Calm down. It'll be okay." She whispered, urging Carl to do something.

Clearing his throat, he let the "Keep Moving Forward" show blast away as loud as it could. Cornelius screamed as he shot awake. His eyes darted around the room and the rest of the family rushed forward to comfort in any way. All but Wilbur, who was glued to the floor.

Cornelius grabbed Franny's hand for comfort, and looked to all the faces around him. His eyes grew wide with fear, somewhat startling the adults, and cried, "Where's Wilber?"

Wilbur's feet finally remembered how to work, and he pushed his way to his dads side. "I'm right here, dad!" Before he even finished his sentence, Wilbur was pulled into a lung-crushing hug.

A hug was awkward to Wilbur, but his dad was crying, which was even more awkward. Making up his mind, Wilbur wrapped his arms around his dad, and squeezed him back, not minding the wet pajamas. Being so close, Wilbur heard his dad mumble a soft prayer. "Please, Lord, don't ever make me face that again."

"Face what?" Wilbur asked curiously.

Shaking his head, Cornelius replied, "It's stupid. It really is."

Franny wrapped her arms around her boys and said, "Sweetheart, obviously it wasn't stupid, else it would have scared you so."

He let out a sigh, rustling Wilbur's hair, and answered, "I-I dreamed that something horrible happened... And I watched as Wilbur was-was ripped away. It was like a vortex in the sky, and everything was being sucked in." He let out a shuttering breath, and refused to say anymore.

"Was it an invention you created gone bad?" Petunia asked, almost in accusing way.

"Dear, I-I think we should be going. Lets let Cornelius calm down." Fritz said, cringing as his "wife" "glared" at him. She made a 'hmff' and "dragged" him out of the room.

At the accusation, Cornelius only gripped his son tighter. "Please, please, please, Wilbur, I beg you, don't do something stupid, okay? If... If your mother or I tell you something is dangerous, please don't do it."

"Sure, dad. Anything you say." Wilbur comforted.

"Well, I sink we should leave Cornelius with his immediate family. I don't know 'bout you, but I'm tired and going back to bed." Aunt Billie started to shove out the rest of the family, and left the three on the bed.

They just stayed there, saying nothing. I was a comfortable silence, and soon, Cornelius's breathing was once again calm, though he still couldn't get the nightmare out of his head.

Franny gently twirled her fingers in Cornelius's hair, in that comforting way she knew he liked. As Cornelius relaxed more, so did his death grip around his son.

"You... Okay now, dad?" Wilbur asked hesitantly.

Without warning, Cornelius stood from the bed and rushed into the closet. He came out moments later dressed and throwing on a lab coat. "I need to head to the lab. I'll be back around six tonight."

"Dad, why are you going to the lab?" Wilbur asked suspicious and curious.

"That is an excellent question." His dad replied, and was out the door. Leaving behind two, dumb-struck family members.

"What... Was that?" Wilbur asked.

"I have no idea. I've never heard him say that before."

"Well I like it! I'm gonna use that the rest of my life!" Wilbur smiled.

"Alrighty, now that the crisis is over, back to bed, young man." Franny stated.

"But I'm awake now!" Wilbur whined.

"Bed." She stated firmly.

"Okay, okay." He said, lugging himself to the door. "Love you, mom."

"Good night, Sweety!" She called after him.

She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a sigh. As she crawled back under the covers, Franny glanced at the clock. 1:53. I wonder what he'll be doing for 16 hours. And that was the last thought before drifting off back to dream land.

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**Review! Review! Review! And I give you cyber cookie! **


	2. Over 16 hours

**I know, it's pathetic, and short. But I've been super busy with college and work to really get into writing anymore, and even less time to go back and edit old ideas. So, sorry if it isn't perfect, but it's fanfiction, fit it to your own head cannons! That's what I do!**

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Cornelius had been at his lab far more than 16 hours. It was 8:20 and Franny sat by her bedroom window, watching for Cornelius to come home. Even in the far distance, she couldn't see lights, or any indication that would mean he would be coming. Art and Gaston peeked their heads into the room and shared a nervous glance with one another before venturing closer to their sister.

"Hey, Ny." Art greeted gently.

"Watching for Cornelius?" Gaston asked.

Sighing, Franny turned her gaze to her brothers. Her eyes told them everything; she was worried, she was nervous, and she was afraid. "I... Cornelius hasn't been home sense

he rushed out after his nightmare. I'm... I don't know." She turned her eyes longingly back to the window, hoping she'd see him soon.

Art placed a hand on her back. "You know Cornelius, he probably lost track of time in his lab. Who knows what he's creating! But you should really get some sleep. I bet he'll be back before you wake up." He comforted.

Sighing, she looked as if she were contemplating going to bed. "I'll stay up a bit longer. If he doesn't come home in the next hour, I'll go fetch him instead." Franny decided aloud. Art and Gaston sighed defeatedly, and kissed their sister's cheek good night beforemleaving her to sit and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Franny had drifted in and out of sleep for two hours, not realizing what time it was. She glanced at the clock with sleepy eyes. It read 10:34pm. Sighing, she climbed off the window seal and stumbled in her sleepy state. _It's not safe to go get Cornelius. Not like this. Maybe Art is right. Cornelius will be home before I wake up._ She crawled across her bed and buried herself under the covers before falling into restless sleep.

"Mom. Mom, wake up!" Wilber called, shaking her from sleep.

Groggily, she sat up and Wilber shoved the phone into her hands. She blinked a few times, her eyes slowly getting used to the light blaring from the window. "Hello?" She asked into the other end.

"Hello, Mrs. Robinson!" Came a male voice from the other end. "It's happened again."

Sighing, Franny replied, "I'll be there in a bit. Try and keep him from sleep-working."

"Will do! And I'll let the others know your coming! Good morning, mrs. Robinson!"

She didn't even say good bye. She just clicked the off button, and dragged herself out of bed.

"Dad fall asleep at work again?" Wilber asked, though he had a joking smile, Franny could see the worry in his eyes.

"Yeah. I need to go pick him up." Franny said, stumbling out of bed. She dragged her feet as she went to the closet to change.

It was almost an hour before Franny actually arrived at the labs. She walked the halls, subconsciously turning down whichever halls she needed to get to her husband's lab. She always gave a halfhearted "good morning." Back to whomever greeted her along the way.

The doors slid open at her coming, and Michael Stanford - a friend, and lab partner to Cornelius on occasion - stood off tithe side watching said husband looking over equations on his large digital boards and shuffling through his written notes in a mumbling mess. She quietly entered the domed room, and placed her hand on Mike's shoulder to let him know she was there. He smiled, nodded, and took his leave.

Franny's heels clicked against the metal floor, gripping her skirt nervously as she watched her husband shuffle around, completely out of it. "Hunny?" She called out. He didn't seem to hear her, lost in his own escaping thoughts. "Cornelius?" She placed her hand on his arm when she was close enough, and he jumped.

"Franny?" Blinking furiously in confusion, Cornelius looked down at his watch, though his eyes seemed unable to comprehend the numbers. He looked back to his wife, giving up on learning the tome. "W-When did you get here?"

"Cornelius, you're scaring me." Franny stated, lightly gripping his bicep.

His shoulders slumped in exhaustion as he looked at his Franny's tearful eyes. "I-I don't know how to explain it." He ran a tired hand down his face. Franny eased him to the ground, to help rest his aching limbs, noticing that his chair had been thrown across the room.

"Try." She said, kneeling next to him, holding him close.

"Something will-has happened, and if I don't...Wilber..." he cried out in frustration, burying his face in Franny's shoulder.

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay, hunny." Franny rubbed circles into her exhausted husbands back. He sobbed until he had no more tears left, but he was still depressed.

"If I do it, there's a chance Wilber will be lost, but if I don't, I don't know what will happen."

Franny didn't speak for a long moment. "I've always trusted you and your judgement. I will always support you no matter your decision." She held him closer, as he calmed down.

"We may not remember the reason for this conversation. Time is a tricky thing." Cornelius said quietly.

"Then remember the feelings." Franny replied just as softly, carding her fingers through his hair. "Come home, rest, and begin again. You need to take care of yourself."

Cornelius nodded, and Franny helped him up off the floor. "Everything will be okay, Honey. Because you won't stop until it is."


End file.
